Oklahoma House bill would lower revenue-raising threshold

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – An Oklahoma lawmaker wants voters to amend the state constitution to lower the number of lawmakers required to approve revenue-raising measures.

Republican House Speaker Pro Tempore Harold Wright filed a bill Friday that calls for a statewide vote to amend a constitutional amendment voters approved in 1992.

Wright, of Weatherford, says the current threshold has stymied lawmakers’ ability to raise revenue to adequately provide for core services like public education. In November, a plan to hike taxes to plug a hole in the state budget fell five votes short.

Currently, a revenue-raising measure requires approval by three-fourths of the Legislature. Wright’s plan would lower that requirement to three-fifths of lawmakers, the same threshold required for school bond issues.